news.yahoo.com/.../swimming_disease_dc_1
Swimming-related brain disease claims lives
May 29, 2008
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - In 2007, six people from southern states died from a rare brain infection that can occur after swimming in warm lakes and rivers, according to findings released Thursday in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
Primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM) is a rare, but nearly always fatal disease caused by the ameba Naegleria fowleri, investigators from the CDC and the states where the infections occurred note. The microbe enters the brain through the nose and the infection causes various symptoms, including headache, neck stiffness, nausea, and vomiting.....
Naegleria is an amoeba, not bacteria which is thought to enter through cribiform plate (nose) and cause uniformly lethal meningitis. Classically, it lives in brackish swamp water. A popular spring break place in Arizona (Lake Havasu) had some cases a few years back. I don't think this is totally nasty water as Havasu is where they have had a few collegiate national championships for triathlon. Children in Arizona also got it here through what was felt to be contaminated drinking water (since route is still felt to be nasal--must have been a crazy bath--look ma! I got Naegleria fowlerii up my nose). :blah:
From the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (published by the CDC) May 30, 2008
Primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM) is a rare but
nearly always fatal disease caused by infection with Naegleria
fowleri, a thermophilic, free-living ameba found in freshwater
environments. Infection results from water containing
N. fowleri entering the nose, followed by migration
of the amebae to the brain via the olfactory nerve. In 2007,
six cases of PAM in the United States were reported to CDC;
all six patients died.
Preliminary results of a new study indicate that a total of 121 cases (range: 0–8 cases per year) occurred in the United States during 1937–
2007. The six cases of PAM reported in 2007 were
among the six highest annual totals of cases reported during
the study period; the other five highest totals were 1980
(eight cases), 2002 (seven cases), and 1978, 1986, and 1995
(six cases each). During 1937–2007, median age of the
patients was 12 years (range: 8 months–66 years). Among
the 119 cases for which sex of the patient was known, males
accounted for 93 (78%) of the cases. Only one reported
survivor met case criteria.
Exposure primarily occurred in untreated, warm, freshwater
lakes or rivers in 15 southern tier states (Arizona,
Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi,
Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina,
Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, and Virginia); the state
of exposure for four cases was unknown. Among the 112
cases for which month of exposure was known, 95 (85%)
occurred during July–September.
The extremely low incidence of PAM makes epidemiologic
study difficult; why certain persons become infected
with the amebae while millions of others exposed to warm
recreational freshwaters do not is unknown.
Risk reduction measures• The only certain way to prevent N. fowleri infections is
to refrain from water-related activities. However, some
measures that might reduce risk by limiting the chance
of contaminated water going up the nose include:
— Avoid water-related activities in bodies of warm freshwater,
hot springs, and thermally polluted water
such as water around power plants.
— Avoid water-related activities in warm fresh
water during periods of high water temperature and
low water volume.
— Hold the nose shut or use nose clips during
activities in warm fresh water such as lakes, rivers,
or hot springs.
— Avoid digging in or stirring up sediment during waterrelated
activities in shallow, warm freshwater areas.
How about correlating those deaths with deaths per year by drowning, wasps or bee stings, lightning and others. I think some 200 kids die per year in swimming pools, maybe over 3,000 adults die of drowning...I didn't check the statistics.
A boy died from this after swimming in Falls Lake in Raleigh NC. This is Raleigh's water supply. I've done OW swims there and it is far from being nasty water. It may be time to wear nose plugs if you're doing an OW swim in the southern US when the water is above 80, which will probably happen soon with 90+ degee days already.
Is Naegleria a terrible disease,yes.Are you likely to get it from an OW swim?only if you swim in pretty nasty water.It is not a clean water disease(and as noted is really rare.)The article said only warm lakes,but what I was taught in my infectious disease training(which was in the stone age) it grew best in pretty foul conditions,ie stagnant smelly water.
